Mike Leach is one of the more colorful personalities in college football, but he was a straight shooter when he discussed how QB Gardner Minshew landed at Washington State.

Minshew is a graduate transfer from East Carolina who was a one-time commit for Alabama. That was until Leach changed his mind.

“You wanna be a backup at Alabama or you wanna lead the nation in passing?” Leach said. “We were lucky enough to get him up here.”

Minshew has had a banner season for the Cougars. Entering Saturday, he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 3,852 yards in 10 games, with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That 385-yard average leads the nation in a per game average.